Published

Hey, the Chronicle-Tribune published my letter to the editor in Tuesday's paper. It's basically the same content as the below PPIN response. I added an intro paragraph to give readers an idea of the recent gift card launch and the controversy surrounded it. I wanted to make sure we were all coming in on the same page. I know this isn't the very first time I've been published, but it's just such an exciting feeling.

In Response

Planned Parenthood Sells Gift Certificates
IndyStar coverage - http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081205/LOCAL18/812050447

I commend Planned Parenthood on their creativity and their capitalization on the holiday gift giving season. As a business, it's natural for them to offer gift cards for their services. And giving a woman you care deeply for the gift of health care is a beautiful thing.

I don't agree with all of Planned Parenthood's philosophies and practices. They remain America's top abortion provider. And as one who's been in pro-life pregnancy ministry for five years, I highly value life. Women. Children. Families. Life. All of it.

So then the question for hardcore Christ followers becomes - so what can I do? If you don't like the way Planned Parenthood works, then it's time for you to explore and support the alternatives you can get behind: clinics for low-income patients that desperately need health care, pregnancy care centers that provide support and real answers, community programs that truly work to break the cycle of poverty, foster parenting, and mentoring. Explore.

Katherine Hardacre, Guest Columnist

The beautiful girl I mentor and her mother

The Chronicle-Tribune published a short piece I wrote as a guest columnist in yesterday's paper!

http://www.chronicle-tribune.com/articles/2008/08/18/opinion/editorials/doc48a8a1f275d0b539173310.txt

We are who we are shaped to be.

I think that deep down I’ve known this for a while, but it’s really become apparent in the last few years. I am who I am today largely because of the experiences I’ve had, the books I’ve read, and the people I’ve encountered and built relationships with. It’s like the song from Wicked that says, “People come into our life for a reason…So much of me is made of what I learned from you.”

My dad. My mom. My Grandma Ellie and Grandpa Blaine. Our youth director. My professors. My college roommates. Relationships. I mean, basically, all of what really matters in life comes down to relationships. Our connections. Our networks.

I have had such great people in my life. I really have. No, I don’t come from some perfect family. No, I haven’t had some plush, care-free, easy life. But I have had awesome relationships.

You know, I feel like there’s been a lot of turnover in relationships in my life. And I think sometime’s it’s easy to believe that we have to be in someone’s life for a really long time in order to make a real difference. And certainly, it is true that those long-term relationships are crucial. Why else would so many people honor their mom, dad, and grandparents for their dedicated commitment to them and their love throughout the years?

Strong, positive, long-term relationships are vital to the success and development of children and teenagers. But let’s not discredit the influence of shorter-term relationships that have made a big difference in our lives. We learn a lot from people who step into our lives for a season.

Often these people come into our lives as teachers, friends, mentors. We can learn a lot from these people. And mentors often aren’t official. So much of our learning is life-on-life. Often our greatest cheerleaders and guides are simply the people who have chosen to take us under their wings for a while.

I was talking to a high school mentor of mine once after a friend died. My mentor Jonese told me that we are not comforted so that we can be comfortable. We are comforted so that we may in turn comfort others. He taught me that the same was true of blessings. We are not blessed just so we can lead some happy, carefree, blessing-full lives. We are blessed so that we, in turn, may bless others. Blessed to bless. This is totally biblical, and it’s become one of my main philosophies in life.

I’m trying to be faithful to pass on the blessing of relationship. So I’ve been in some good healthy unofficially mentoring relationships, and this fall I took the step to be an “official” mentor with Project Leadership. I meet with this really beautiful, great freshman girl once a week for lunch. I’m just there for her in this season of her life to be an extra encourager, cheerleader, friend, and guide. And I’ll you the truth, I have as much fun and learn as much as my mentee. It is a highlight.

We are all role models. Someone somewhere is looking up to us. What kind of role models will we be? We can also all step up in some area of our life to be a role model and mentor another. And we can all choose to seek out mentoring relationships where we can learn and grow.

I challenge you to take an hour or two this week, and schedule time to make a focused impact on a child. Maybe you could lend a hand in your child’s classroom. Maybe you’d like to mentor a youth through the Boys & Girls Club, through Project Leadership, or through the Kids Hope program. Maybe there’s a new teacher at your school or a young mom or dad at your church who could use a cheerleader and guide.

How will you choose to intentionally build into someone’s life this week?

We need each other to grow. We need each other today.

Questioning

Questions.
As I listen, as I watch the world, as I interact, as I take each step, questions fill my mind. It's too much sometimes. Feels easier to give up and push the questions aside as unquestionable or even as simply one of the frustrating nuisances of life. To what extent must we pursue our questions? I feel that in this season, I must systematically seek to address at least a few of my many wanderings. Hmm.

First Grievings

My grandfather passed away suddenly this weekend, and it's been some new firsts for me. This is the first grandparent I've lossed. So far, this whole event has been a very different feeling than the other deaths of friends and family I've experienced. Maybe mostly because my grandfather was old, and he had lived a good, full life. After the visitation and memorial service, he is to be created and this is the first person I've ever known in real life to be cremated. So that should be kind of interesting. Then, today I went to see my grandfather at the funeral home. And it was the first time I have ever been alone with a deceased person. I had a chance alone to say goodbye. It really kicked in today when I saw them that he was gone. A week of new firsts.

Making a Stand CT news

The Chronicle-Tribune quoted me today in their article Making a Stand: Churches have services on Roe v. Wad anniversary. I had attended and help coordinate a special service at church focusing on the sanctity of human life.

"I think so often as Christians, we're known for what we're against," she said. "We should be known for what we support, and we support life."

We ought to be known as huge celebrators of all human life, of all people. Enough said.

Lemonade for Sale

So I heard this story on the radio the other day.

A girl asked her mom for a quarter to buy lemonade from a stand down the street. Thinking she was generous, the mother reached deep into her pocket and handed her daughter a dollar bill. The little girl was very frustrated and loudly exclaimed, "Mom, I don't want THAT! I WANT a QUARTER!"

Wow. I wonder how often I have, how often do I continue to ask God for something, expecting, whining even, longing so desperately, and He's like, "Katherine, if you only understood. What I am offering is so much better than what you think you want."

Father, teach me to trust You.
May I strive to view my life and my world the way You do.

Change of Focus

A good friend of mine emailed me a random social work job listing this week. Curious, I clicked on the link and it brought me straight to a listing for the exact job I had been hoping to land just this summer. A local elementary was hiring a new Social Services Specialist, and that's exactly what I had been interested in. I had even been especially interested in working at that particular elementary school. It's an amazing job. It really is. But I can really say that it's not for me at this time. The curious thing was the timing. I had just last week been literally counting the blessings I have experienced and continue to experience at my current job. I had been reminding myself how lucky I am to have the position I'm in.

I love my job. I'm not sure I ever thought I could enjoy an Administrative Assistant position so much, but I do. In fact, in college, I met with a life coach to discuss possible career paths after taking one of those special assessment tests. The one thing the coach pointed out was that none of my top career matches were assistants. I clearly wanted to be in charge, and wouldn't be satisfied being an assistant.

But I have found my job as Administrative Assistant at our nonprofit to be a FABULOUS fit for me in this season of life! I love the people I work with. I have a lot of freedom to be creative. I feel very supported and encouraged. And for the most part, it's a very lower-key, low-stress position. I am able to leave at 4pm and pretty much not worry about work again until the next morning. It's great. It frees me up to pursue my other passions and to develop stronger relationships. I am to work with the leadership at church to explore how we can more effectively reach out into our community. I'm able to work with groups like the MLK Celebration Team to plan and coordinate important community events. I have more time to enjoy with friends and to hang out with my neighbors. And that's totally how I want life to be.

I know life is a series of seasons. I'm not sure what will be up next, and I still have a lot of questions, but I am really enjoying the job I'm in right now.

Life Abundant!

I love John 10:10! "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." Examing the verse in multiple versions really fleshes out what the "abundant life" looks like. Our Saviour Christ came that we might experience: NIV - life, to the full Amplified Bible - enjoy life, in abundance, to the full, till it overflows NLT - rich and satisfying life The Message - real and eternal life, more and better life than we've ever dreamed of Christ offers us this amazing, better-than-we've-ever-dreamed-of life. But it is up to us to choose it! And I believe He is speaking of more than just our life-after-death life here. He's speaking to our here, today, right now, this very moment life. I seek to wholeheartedly pursue the good life. The life Christ offers. Not a materialistic false-happiness life, nor a fake feel good all the time high life. A real, satisfying, living in the center of God's will life. I'm learning and growing and adventuring as I go. Venture on!